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I am currently in my first year of climbing, and when am leading i have a fear of falling and hurting myself. I dont like fall training because i hate letting go and making myself fall. Is this normal for climbing? Can i change this in any way. I really enjoying bouldering and have no problems with that, so am i more suited to be a boulderer than a climber.
In reply to AlpineDaz: what do you mean?
In reply to AlpineDaz:
I think the trick to getting comfortable with falling is to do it. So, unless you're prepared to let go and fall I don't think you'll make any progress. However, I reckon it'll help if you do it in small steps and get comfortable with just sagging onto the rope, then small falls before you start taking larger falls. Look for some info on clip-drop.
Make sure you can trust your belayer 100%. For me, this makes a huge difference to what I can climb.
Alternatively, just climb really easy routes that you won't fall off.
JT
I think the trick to getting comfortable with falling is to do it. So, unless you're prepared to let go and fall I don't think you'll make any progress. However, I reckon it'll help if you do it in small steps and get comfortable with just sagging onto the rope, then small falls before you start taking larger falls. Look for some info on clip-drop.
Make sure you can trust your belayer 100%. For me, this makes a huge difference to what I can climb.
Alternatively, just climb really easy routes that you won't fall off.
JT
In reply to AlpineDaz:
I think everyone has a fear of falling to some extent! Fall training has become something that is talked about alot recently, however I think you would find the majority of climbers have never done it. The more you climb the more you start to become comfortable in the environment and slowly you should become less scared. Make sure that you pick routes that are with in your capablites to start off with some you don't have epics. Always try and rationalise the fear, are you really in danger or do you just not want to fall. If after a few years you are still scared everytime you leave the ground then it might be that bouldering is for you.You could always try getting some coaching as this might help.
Good luck!
I think everyone has a fear of falling to some extent! Fall training has become something that is talked about alot recently, however I think you would find the majority of climbers have never done it. The more you climb the more you start to become comfortable in the environment and slowly you should become less scared. Make sure that you pick routes that are with in your capablites to start off with some you don't have epics. Always try and rationalise the fear, are you really in danger or do you just not want to fall. If after a few years you are still scared everytime you leave the ground then it might be that bouldering is for you.You could always try getting some coaching as this might help.
Good luck!
In reply to AlpineDaz: get on well protected hard routes that you havn't got any choice but to fall off?? maybe a really steep route where there is a bombproof cluster of gear then none for a while but that you can fall off safely...you won't want to take the fall so will try and get to the next piece of gear which in turn will mean you take a big fall...refer to my photos on kachoong although i was already fairly comfortable falling, this route made me even more so good luck mate and dont worry u havnt been climbing long, Dunc
In reply to AlpineDaz:
It's an interesting question. I have no real fear of falling. in any given session I climb up to and beyond thus I fully expect to fall every time I climb really, probably several times. That's been the way I've always climbed. I'd be interested if there are people who climb, who used to be scared of falling who now aren't.
It's an interesting question. I have no real fear of falling. in any given session I climb up to and beyond thus I fully expect to fall every time I climb really, probably several times. That's been the way I've always climbed. I'd be interested if there are people who climb, who used to be scared of falling who now aren't.
In reply to AlpineDaz:
That has to be the worst subject title on a climbing website I've ever seen.
If you're scared of falling, I'd recommend climbing a few grades lower. And getting miles and miles of climbing under your belt. I really do think this is the best way of improving your climbing.
You won't get rid of 'fear', however, you will learn to handle fear better, and for that matter climb better anyway.
I don't see much reason to do 'fall training'- unless you want to do really, really hard routes in a redpoint/ whatever it's called style of climbing. I think for the vast majority of climbers, trad climbing doesn't really involve that many falls.
That has to be the worst subject title on a climbing website I've ever seen.
If you're scared of falling, I'd recommend climbing a few grades lower. And getting miles and miles of climbing under your belt. I really do think this is the best way of improving your climbing.
You won't get rid of 'fear', however, you will learn to handle fear better, and for that matter climb better anyway.
I don't see much reason to do 'fall training'- unless you want to do really, really hard routes in a redpoint/ whatever it's called style of climbing. I think for the vast majority of climbers, trad climbing doesn't really involve that many falls.
In reply to AlpineDaz:
I would agree, but I have been climbing for a couple of years and the fear has gone because I trust my set up. I prefer bouldering if i am with inexperienced climbers just because there is no second thought of, is the guy that is belaying doing it right (sketchy)?
To sum it up the fear will go when you improve and when you trust your self, you will get way more daring and also the fear factor for me is what attracts me to the sport.
I hope this helps
DAz
I would agree, but I have been climbing for a couple of years and the fear has gone because I trust my set up. I prefer bouldering if i am with inexperienced climbers just because there is no second thought of, is the guy that is belaying doing it right (sketchy)?
To sum it up the fear will go when you improve and when you trust your self, you will get way more daring and also the fear factor for me is what attracts me to the sport.
I hope this helps
DAz
In reply to AlpineDaz:
Do you want to just boulder? If so then why not.
If you want to climb roped then you need to either accept or work on your perfectly normal fear. You can climb quite adequately without ever falling or at the very least without putting yourself in a position where you're likely to fall. Doing so will however slow your progress when compared against others more willing to risk falls.
What exactly scares you about falling? The initial drop, the gear ripping, the rope failing, the gear holding and the slam into the wall or is it simply an unknown at the moment?
jk
Do you want to just boulder? If so then why not.
If you want to climb roped then you need to either accept or work on your perfectly normal fear. You can climb quite adequately without ever falling or at the very least without putting yourself in a position where you're likely to fall. Doing so will however slow your progress when compared against others more willing to risk falls.
What exactly scares you about falling? The initial drop, the gear ripping, the rope failing, the gear holding and the slam into the wall or is it simply an unknown at the moment?
jk
In reply to dunkymonkey17:
No he won't.
Clearly what will happen from how he's described himself is... he'll put loads of gear in and IF he then committs to the moves (and that's a big if) he'll start them and when it quickly gets very hard he'll shit himself, try to reverse and grab for the gear he's left behind, shit himself more, perhaps have some gear come out and then properly shit himself.
He'll lose loads and loads and loads of confidence.
I would recommend doing lots and lots of climbing (preferably onsight) using the grading system to choose routes where you achieve success without falling (or fear of it), then steadily (again, using the grading system) trying to progress in terms of difficulty.
> (In reply to AlpineDaz) get on well protected hard routes that you havn't got any choice but to fall off?? maybe a really steep route where there is a bombproof cluster of gear then none for a while but that you can fall off safely...you won't want to take the fall so will try and get to the next piece of gear which in turn will mean you take a big fall
No he won't.
Clearly what will happen from how he's described himself is... he'll put loads of gear in and IF he then committs to the moves (and that's a big if) he'll start them and when it quickly gets very hard he'll shit himself, try to reverse and grab for the gear he's left behind, shit himself more, perhaps have some gear come out and then properly shit himself.
He'll lose loads and loads and loads of confidence.
I would recommend doing lots and lots of climbing (preferably onsight) using the grading system to choose routes where you achieve success without falling (or fear of it), then steadily (again, using the grading system) trying to progress in terms of difficulty.
In reply to Cragrat Rich:
That would seem to make eminent sense to me. Isn't that how it works? Isn't that just How Climbing Is Supposed To Work? Surely falling off is an unintended consequence, not something to get used to as part of the game? Yer big men might see it as part of the game plan, but on the whole it is something I try to avoid. There is a reason the sport is called climbing, not falling.
Enjoyed delicious comic repetition of the phrase "shit himself" too.
> (In reply to dunkymonkey17)
> > I would recommend doing lots and lots of climbing (preferably onsight) using the grading system to choose routes where you achieve success without falling (or fear of it), then steadily (again, using the grading system) trying to progress in terms of difficulty.
> > I would recommend doing lots and lots of climbing (preferably onsight) using the grading system to choose routes where you achieve success without falling (or fear of it), then steadily (again, using the grading system) trying to progress in terms of difficulty.
That would seem to make eminent sense to me. Isn't that how it works? Isn't that just How Climbing Is Supposed To Work? Surely falling off is an unintended consequence, not something to get used to as part of the game? Yer big men might see it as part of the game plan, but on the whole it is something I try to avoid. There is a reason the sport is called climbing, not falling.
Enjoyed delicious comic repetition of the phrase "shit himself" too.
In reply to Richard Baynes:
>Yer big men might see it as part of the game plan, but on the whole it is something I try to avoid.
Some do, but it is only because they have learned to place good gear, know their capabilities from experience and try to make sure any fall they do take is not likely to kill them. There is still no guarantee though, as you will note from time to time.
>Yer big men might see it as part of the game plan, but on the whole it is something I try to avoid.
Some do, but it is only because they have learned to place good gear, know their capabilities from experience and try to make sure any fall they do take is not likely to kill them. There is still no guarantee though, as you will note from time to time.
In reply to sutty: Precisely. Most of us don't want to fall at all if we can avoid it not least because it damages ropes, gear and potentially the rock. Learning to have confidence in your gear and the system, to enable you to attempt moves and have better psychological control (ie not shit yourself) is what's important, and it doesn't have to be done through taking wingers.
In reply to Ander:
Well I've only just started back after a 20 year gap so atm I'm climbing indoors.
Obviously if I was soloing, then I wouldn't be climbing till I fell, but I think really we're talking about a fear of falling when you're properly protected, whatever form that protection may take. Some people have that some don't, my question was whether those people, who have a fear of falling, managed to train that fear out of themselves in some way.
We all say, practice, push your grade, give advice on how to fall, some even suggest doing fall training. My question is whether is works. Are there people who used to be scared of falling, who now aren't?
> (In reply to Tiberius)
>
> Are you sport/ indoors climbing?
>
> Are you sport/ indoors climbing?
Well I've only just started back after a 20 year gap so atm I'm climbing indoors.
Obviously if I was soloing, then I wouldn't be climbing till I fell, but I think really we're talking about a fear of falling when you're properly protected, whatever form that protection may take. Some people have that some don't, my question was whether those people, who have a fear of falling, managed to train that fear out of themselves in some way.
We all say, practice, push your grade, give advice on how to fall, some even suggest doing fall training. My question is whether is works. Are there people who used to be scared of falling, who now aren't?
In reply to AlpineDaz:
bite the bullet, harden up and start falling. youll get used to it and deal with it and be glad you did.
beyond a basic level, bouldering is all about falling anyway.
i instruct a bit and always start folks off with half an hour or 2 of falling. before anything else.
gotta trust your gear.
practice at a wall with bomber approved anchors (hopefully) and get into it.
youll get more out of falling at this stage than almost anything else - its whats buggin you and messin with your head.
it will take years to crimp better, lock off on overhangs, heel hook and do dynos - but none of it will work well so long as your freaked out too much by taking a fall.
a few sessions focussing on it will do wonders for you (and probably most of us, certainly i do with it now the subjects raised)
focus on bouldering out of inspiration to boulder, not fear of falling with roped climbing.
if youre really not into falling and nothings going to change that, take up ice climbing - the only climbing genre where you just dont fall.
even then, theres a million other aspects to ice way more head f*cking to cope with.
bite the bullet, harden up and start falling. youll get used to it and deal with it and be glad you did.
beyond a basic level, bouldering is all about falling anyway.
i instruct a bit and always start folks off with half an hour or 2 of falling. before anything else.
gotta trust your gear.
practice at a wall with bomber approved anchors (hopefully) and get into it.
youll get more out of falling at this stage than almost anything else - its whats buggin you and messin with your head.
it will take years to crimp better, lock off on overhangs, heel hook and do dynos - but none of it will work well so long as your freaked out too much by taking a fall.
a few sessions focussing on it will do wonders for you (and probably most of us, certainly i do with it now the subjects raised)
focus on bouldering out of inspiration to boulder, not fear of falling with roped climbing.
if youre really not into falling and nothings going to change that, take up ice climbing - the only climbing genre where you just dont fall.
even then, theres a million other aspects to ice way more head f*cking to cope with.
In reply to Cragrat Rich:
yeah that second point seems fair, but I don't see why what I suggested was so wrong, it definatley helped me, so why won't it help him?? if he learns that his gear can hold him in a fall hell gain LOADS of confidence, I find that even if I back off I gain confidence because I have controlled the situation and know that if I feel uncomfortable I can sort the situation out. it was just a suggestion that worked for me, and kachoong helped me alot.
but whatever I hope you get your head sorted Daz whoevers advice you take.
> (In reply to dunkymonkey17)
> [...]
>
> No he won't.
> Clearly what will happen from how he's described himself is... he'll put loads of gear in and IF he then committs to the moves (and that's a big if) he'll start them and when it quickly gets very hard he'll shit himself, try to reverse and grab for the gear he's left behind, shit himself more, perhaps have some gear come out and then properly shit himself.
> He'll lose loads and loads and loads of confidence.
>
>
> I would recommend doing lots and lots of climbing (preferably onsight) using the grading system to choose routes where you achieve success without falling (or fear of it), then steadily (again, using the grading system) trying to progress in terms of difficulty.
> [...]
>
> No he won't.
> Clearly what will happen from how he's described himself is... he'll put loads of gear in and IF he then committs to the moves (and that's a big if) he'll start them and when it quickly gets very hard he'll shit himself, try to reverse and grab for the gear he's left behind, shit himself more, perhaps have some gear come out and then properly shit himself.
> He'll lose loads and loads and loads of confidence.
>
>
> I would recommend doing lots and lots of climbing (preferably onsight) using the grading system to choose routes where you achieve success without falling (or fear of it), then steadily (again, using the grading system) trying to progress in terms of difficulty.
yeah that second point seems fair, but I don't see why what I suggested was so wrong, it definatley helped me, so why won't it help him?? if he learns that his gear can hold him in a fall hell gain LOADS of confidence, I find that even if I back off I gain confidence because I have controlled the situation and know that if I feel uncomfortable I can sort the situation out. it was just a suggestion that worked for me, and kachoong helped me alot.
but whatever I hope you get your head sorted Daz whoevers advice you take.
In reply to AlpineDaz:
Indoor lead climbing got me used to falling. I've fallen a few times on trad too but you have to know that your gear is good before pushing on to moves were you think you might fall. Build yourself up, learn to trust the system, your gear and your belayer.
Fear of falling is good if the consequences are dire, checkout this article:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1563
Indoor lead climbing got me used to falling. I've fallen a few times on trad too but you have to know that your gear is good before pushing on to moves were you think you might fall. Build yourself up, learn to trust the system, your gear and your belayer.
Fear of falling is good if the consequences are dire, checkout this article:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1563
In reply to Ander:
As bad as "UK Climbing"?
> (In reply to AlpineDaz)
>
> That has to be the worst subject title on a climbing website I've ever seen.
>>
> That has to be the worst subject title on a climbing website I've ever seen.
As bad as "UK Climbing"?
> i instruct a bit and always start folks off with half an hour or 2 of falling. before anything else.
Blimey.
Remind me not to come on any of your training courses!
In reply to Babika:
badly worded, not as fatalistic as it sounds.
half and hour or so of dropping onto a top rope and/or bolts is a far better way of getting folks understanding the whole process of gear, dynamics & stresses than the same time spent with kid gloves and abstract diagrams.
time is money.
badly worded, not as fatalistic as it sounds.
half and hour or so of dropping onto a top rope and/or bolts is a far better way of getting folks understanding the whole process of gear, dynamics & stresses than the same time spent with kid gloves and abstract diagrams.
time is money.
In reply to AlpineDaz: 45 years of climbing i have had three falls plus one where it ended on the deck that a 40 ft all the gear ripped i still climb and olso solo routes i never thing about falling its all part of the game regards brian
In reply to Tiberius:
The point that is often made by people who know what they are talking about* (Dave Mac, Arno Ilger/rock warrior's way, Dr. Rebecca Williams) is that there is often this perception that 'falling practice' has to involve massive whippers. It doesn't.
From a psychological perspective, dealing with a fear of falling is about trying to deal with a conditioned response (fear) to a stimulus (being about to fall off) by first breaking the conditioning, then by conditioning another response (say relaxation).
If you are scared of falling and you start trying to take massive practice lobs, all that is happening is that you are further reinforcing the conditioning of falling -> fear. The most important thing is to practice relaxation in the situation you are frightened of, rather than the lengths of the lob you are taking. From this point of view it might better be described as 'relaxation practice' or 'fear management practice' rather than 'falling practice'.
What a better approach is, is to start by sitting on the rope, and practice feeling relaxed. Close your eyes and visualise a situation which you associate with feeling relaxed. Personally, I am chilled with falling off when bouldering indoors, even from the top of the wall - so I visualise sitting on the mat, maybe putting my shoes on, having a laugh with some mates, the ritual I go through before getting on to a boulder problem. Then, staying relaxed, climb up a move or two, and drop back down. Perhaps visualising just 'stepping down' for a second from the first moves of a problem. Then slowly continue increasing the distance of the falls but the most important bit is that you continue to feel relaxed. As soon as you start hesitating and feeling scared, you have overcooked it and need to drop back down, as you are not dealing with your fear any more.
Ultimately if you can break the conditioning that makes you scared in a situation where you might fall (but it is safe to do so) you don't freeze up due to the fear (making falling more likely as you are prone to hesitate, not think clearly, or otherwise make mistakes when you are scared) but stay relaxed, chilled out, able to work out what you need to do in a reasonably relaxed manner, giving you the best chance of ticking your route.
*links
Dr Rebecca Williams: http://smartclimbing.blogspot.com/2009/11/falling-off-practice-how-to-do-it...
Arno Ilger: http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=874
Dave Mac: http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/fear-of-falling-dictates-yo...
http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/2009/07/beating-fear-of-falling-in-...
The point that is often made by people who know what they are talking about* (Dave Mac, Arno Ilger/rock warrior's way, Dr. Rebecca Williams) is that there is often this perception that 'falling practice' has to involve massive whippers. It doesn't.
From a psychological perspective, dealing with a fear of falling is about trying to deal with a conditioned response (fear) to a stimulus (being about to fall off) by first breaking the conditioning, then by conditioning another response (say relaxation).
If you are scared of falling and you start trying to take massive practice lobs, all that is happening is that you are further reinforcing the conditioning of falling -> fear. The most important thing is to practice relaxation in the situation you are frightened of, rather than the lengths of the lob you are taking. From this point of view it might better be described as 'relaxation practice' or 'fear management practice' rather than 'falling practice'.
What a better approach is, is to start by sitting on the rope, and practice feeling relaxed. Close your eyes and visualise a situation which you associate with feeling relaxed. Personally, I am chilled with falling off when bouldering indoors, even from the top of the wall - so I visualise sitting on the mat, maybe putting my shoes on, having a laugh with some mates, the ritual I go through before getting on to a boulder problem. Then, staying relaxed, climb up a move or two, and drop back down. Perhaps visualising just 'stepping down' for a second from the first moves of a problem. Then slowly continue increasing the distance of the falls but the most important bit is that you continue to feel relaxed. As soon as you start hesitating and feeling scared, you have overcooked it and need to drop back down, as you are not dealing with your fear any more.
Ultimately if you can break the conditioning that makes you scared in a situation where you might fall (but it is safe to do so) you don't freeze up due to the fear (making falling more likely as you are prone to hesitate, not think clearly, or otherwise make mistakes when you are scared) but stay relaxed, chilled out, able to work out what you need to do in a reasonably relaxed manner, giving you the best chance of ticking your route.
*links
Dr Rebecca Williams: http://smartclimbing.blogspot.com/2009/11/falling-off-practice-how-to-do-it...
Arno Ilger: http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=874
Dave Mac: http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/2009/10/fear-of-falling-dictates-yo...
http://onlineclimbingcoach.blogspot.com/2009/07/beating-fear-of-falling-in-...
In reply to dunkymonkey17:
because everyone deals with fear in a different way. What is confidence inspiring for one person might be destructive for another. You can't know that the OP deals with fear in the same way as you, so asserting 'it helped me so it must be confidence boosting' is not necessarily true.
Only the OP can gauge where he is on the scale of relaxed -> terrified and the best way to do this is progressively and incrementally rather than putting deliberately putting himself in an all-or-nothing situation.
If you read the Rebecca Williams link it explains it better than I can.
> it definatley helped me, so why won't it help him??
because everyone deals with fear in a different way. What is confidence inspiring for one person might be destructive for another. You can't know that the OP deals with fear in the same way as you, so asserting 'it helped me so it must be confidence boosting' is not necessarily true.
Only the OP can gauge where he is on the scale of relaxed -> terrified and the best way to do this is progressively and incrementally rather than putting deliberately putting himself in an all-or-nothing situation.
If you read the Rebecca Williams link it explains it better than I can.
In reply to AlpineDaz:
I hate letting go and falling, even more so when that fall is out of my control, for example when I'm too pumped. Being scared of falling is perfectly natural and some of the articles already reference can be very helpful.
However, for me I have dealt with the fear best by using the clip-drop technique that is explained here:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1838
The key is starting very small but doing it on at least one route EVERY time you go to the wall. Don't feel pressured to take bigger falls every time you go though, the whole point is to get comfortable at a certain level and then increase, and if it's too much one night make them small again.
I can also find dealing with falling mentally draining and so need to have a break from feeling like I need to deal with it every so often.
Good luck, hope you find something that works.
I hate letting go and falling, even more so when that fall is out of my control, for example when I'm too pumped. Being scared of falling is perfectly natural and some of the articles already reference can be very helpful.
However, for me I have dealt with the fear best by using the clip-drop technique that is explained here:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=1838
The key is starting very small but doing it on at least one route EVERY time you go to the wall. Don't feel pressured to take bigger falls every time you go though, the whole point is to get comfortable at a certain level and then increase, and if it's too much one night make them small again.
I can also find dealing with falling mentally draining and so need to have a break from feeling like I need to deal with it every so often.
Good luck, hope you find something that works.
In reply to IainAM:
cheers.
Personally I find these days that I tend much more to a 'fear of being out of control' much more than a fear of the fall itself, (massive or swinging falls excepted...) which is usually not such a traumatic experience.
I think many people find the 'totally gripped, unable to let go' much worse than the actual fall in many cases, however it all gets lumped into the general category of 'fear of falling'.
Since realising this I have been trying to deal with it by linking it to a mental scenario where I feel in control - in my case, indoor bouldering, where I am happy to go for things that I will almost certainly fall off, (and often result in a fall the same distance as a medium sized lead fall) - but are fine as the fall is under my control.
I think other mental strategies for feeling in-control might be trusting gear, trusting belayer, being able to gauge falling hazards at a glance (swinging falls, things to hit) and being confident that you won't get limbs tangled in the rope as you fall (this is the one that often gets me, I am over-cautious which means I make excessive foot movements to ensure I'm not tangled in the rope)
cheers.
Personally I find these days that I tend much more to a 'fear of being out of control' much more than a fear of the fall itself, (massive or swinging falls excepted...) which is usually not such a traumatic experience.
I think many people find the 'totally gripped, unable to let go' much worse than the actual fall in many cases, however it all gets lumped into the general category of 'fear of falling'.
Since realising this I have been trying to deal with it by linking it to a mental scenario where I feel in control - in my case, indoor bouldering, where I am happy to go for things that I will almost certainly fall off, (and often result in a fall the same distance as a medium sized lead fall) - but are fine as the fall is under my control.
I think other mental strategies for feeling in-control might be trusting gear, trusting belayer, being able to gauge falling hazards at a glance (swinging falls, things to hit) and being confident that you won't get limbs tangled in the rope as you fall (this is the one that often gets me, I am over-cautious which means I make excessive foot movements to ensure I'm not tangled in the rope)
In reply to plexiglass_nick:
totally agree, it's the moment before the fall, the imagination and how best to get it under the control, not the fall itself. If it happens by accident it's almost fun.
totally agree, it's the moment before the fall, the imagination and how best to get it under the control, not the fall itself. If it happens by accident it's almost fun.
In reply to AlpineDaz:
When Alex Huber did El Nino on El Cap he would wake up on the porter ledge tie a figure of 8 on one end of the rope clip it to the anchor tie into the other end and jump off taking a 60 meter clean fall to get his beans going !!
I wouldn't recomend the technique at a single pitch crag though !
Aye
Dan
When Alex Huber did El Nino on El Cap he would wake up on the porter ledge tie a figure of 8 on one end of the rope clip it to the anchor tie into the other end and jump off taking a 60 meter clean fall to get his beans going !!
I wouldn't recomend the technique at a single pitch crag though !
Aye
Dan
In reply to plexiglass_nick:
well said.
of course you never (and would never want to) lose the very sane urge not to plummet and die.
but you can work on and deal with the restrictive phobia of taking a fall.
again, its not about the normal persons hesitation to not take 15m whippers.
its about some peoples overly fearful inability to progress because the fear of falling hold them back.
you climb better for the better you deal with the process of falling.
given enough real experience you start to see into the whole thing, the rush and confusion begins to clear a bit and you learn to control what you can.
theres even a perverse pleasure to falling. when you know its safe and factor it in its got a sense of release nothing else does.
as for huber and sharma on that damned majorcan arch etc: nutters. awesome. but nutters.
well said.
of course you never (and would never want to) lose the very sane urge not to plummet and die.
but you can work on and deal with the restrictive phobia of taking a fall.
again, its not about the normal persons hesitation to not take 15m whippers.
its about some peoples overly fearful inability to progress because the fear of falling hold them back.
you climb better for the better you deal with the process of falling.
given enough real experience you start to see into the whole thing, the rush and confusion begins to clear a bit and you learn to control what you can.
theres even a perverse pleasure to falling. when you know its safe and factor it in its got a sense of release nothing else does.
as for huber and sharma on that damned majorcan arch etc: nutters. awesome. but nutters.
In reply to AlpineDaz: i'm in a similar boat to you. Not been climbing long, less than a year. I wasn't petrified of falling off but the thought was always there. I took my 1st lead fall last week cut my knee up pretty good. Am I too scared to climb now? Nope if anything it reinforced in my mind my ability to place gear, tie knots, rely on my partner etc.
As others have said just get out and get some routes under your belt, use the guide book and pick routes within your grade. climbings ment to be fun, with a few scary moments! If your have to take 10mins and immagine yourself at a beach or something everytime you tie in perhaps its time you accepted this aint the sport for you!
As others have said just get out and get some routes under your belt, use the guide book and pick routes within your grade. climbings ment to be fun, with a few scary moments! If your have to take 10mins and immagine yourself at a beach or something everytime you tie in perhaps its time you accepted this aint the sport for you!
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